CSH #1: 10152 Toluca Lake Avenue, North Hollywood- Architect: Julius Ralph Davidson

Hello again,

If you are still with me: kudos (this is by no means congratulatory, I am referring to the granola bar: they pay me to say it); it was never my attempt to give a lecture, but it hardly seemed appropriate to celebrate a monumental time in the history of design without paying respects to those who came before—so without further ado: a moment of silence (mind your hats gentlemen).     

… And we’re back. First published in the February 1945 issue of “Arts and Architecture” magazine, 10152 Toluca Lake Avenue was the first of the Case Study Houses. This residence, as originally designed by Mr. Davidson, was never build; however, a revised version of the plans would be constructed three years later. Both will be covered in this article: the former being the primary topic of discussion.

Originally this residence had no client, so someone with too much time on their hands, mocked up a hypothetical family with hypothetical expectations for a modern residence. This attractive family consists of: an older, independently professional couple, Mr. and Mrs. Abel, their teenage daughter who is frequently off at school, we’ll call Trudy, and everybody’s favorite: a live-in mother-in-law who we will affectionately refer to as Mrs. Vickers. The players are set, now for the stage.

For the interest of the reader, I have taken a few liberties with the narrative to follow: but what fun is life without a little imagination. You will notice that the characters and interactions are fictitious; HOWEVER, all observations in references to the architect, architecture and overall design aesthetics are absolutely true. If nothing else, these “faux-interviews” will serve to make the analyses of these homes a little less tedious and a little more tantalizing for the reader as well as the writer.

“Hollywood Hideout”

The weather is exactly how I remember it to be for North Hollywood at this time of year, so too was the traffic. Nevertheless, I continue up the sinuous walk of the Abel Residence. I am greeted at the door by a rather established-looking couple and am beckoned inward.

With a perpendicular garage, the house seems to 

embrace the visitor upon approach.

 Mrs. Abel, an accounts executive at a prominent California bank, offers to take my jacket: much to my relief. Her husband leads me into the living room directly off the entry where numerous books abound accompanied by stacks of dog-eared notes. Gregory Abel is a Professor of English at UCLA that can’t seem to get enough shelf space for this “extra-curricular” work. “Despite our best efforts, it would seem Jules [Davidson] and I were unsuccessful in accommodating for my ever-expanding literary collection,” Gregory quips standing amidst the ample shelving system now full to bursting, “The best laid plans of mice and men, I suppose.” Mr. Abel and I share a laugh at his Robert Burns reference and I am pleased with myself for having followed along.

The living room is expertly adorned with various pieces by: Eileen Gray, Corbusier and the Eames—their tubular steel components serving to accentuate the bountiful natural light pouring in from the floor-to-ceiling window at the rear of the house. Most notable in terms of the living room, is the way in which the ceiling edge is chamfered above the mantle with inlayed rail lighting allowing for a diffuse means of bathing the room with artificial light; when the generous California sun has set, that is.

The living room, aside from being quite accommodating of 

various activities, has a splendid view of the backyard and 

sports a curved ceiling above the fireplace that washes the 

room in diffuse lighting during the evening hours. 

 Next, we make our way into the modestly sized kitchen that Mrs. Abel says is perfect for her as she is admittedly a, “less-than-avid cook.” Gregory and I take a seat at the breakfast nook overlooking one of the houses three terraces. I inquire about the couple’s decision to commission such a house.

“It wasn’t easy parting with our loft in LA. We had grown accustom to snug quarter and proximity to our respective places of employment, but we are getting older and coming to terms with the idea of retirement. Trudy comes and goes in between semesters at USC and the arrival of my Mother-in-law brought new demands. We thought a change of scenery would go us some good.” Mrs. Abel brings over a tray of lemonade and chimes in, “But budget was a big concern. Being long-time renters, we were terrified of taking on a mortgage especially because at our age it would probably outlive us.”

With these things in mind, the couple commissioned local architect Julius Davidson who took to heart the needs and expectations of his new clients.

At first glace the home is a rather conventional one, composed of a wood structure set on a concrete slab. But, as the Abels point out, the magic is in the details. For the other components of the house Davidson utilized materials traditionally used for more industrial building typologies. Aluminum sheets for siding, plywood for cabinetry and other treatments, asphalt tile flooring, factory-made steel trusses for the roof and Formica countertops over which we share lemonade. “Davidson spared not expense in reducing the expense of the project,” Mr. Abel states with a smile.

Along with appeasing the couple’s desire for a relatively inexpensive house, the architect made several concessions for the programmatic elements of the house: some, the Abels had stipulated, and others the they didn’t even know they wanted.

A private suite on the second floor for Mrs. Abel’s mother with a separate terrace and balcony overlooking the entry, an office/ dormitory for daughter Trudy, and plenty of outdoor space for entertaining or gardening in the case of Mrs. Abel and her mother: who both possess green thumbs I am told.

The rear terrace with exposed structural steel trellis provides 

ample space for: dinner parties, sunbathing and gardening. 

“We brought our list of requirements to the architect thinking it would keep him busy, but he came back with a list of things we had not considered,” Gregory reminisces. Davidson went beyond the call of duty, not only complying with the couples demands but also: orienting the house diagonally on the site to maximize solar gain, providing for cross ventilation in every bedroom and placing the terraces in such a way that adjacent part of the building would protect against the prevailing winds. “Worse that ants at a picnic are strong winds,” jokes Mrs. Abel.

Mr. and Mrs. Abel’s shifting family situation and professional outlook prompted an endeavor into uncharted waters, but with the patient guidance and savvy design sensibility of architect Julius Davidson, it would seem the couple’s search for a change of scenery had done them plenty of good.

***

As mentioned earlier, Julius Davidson did not build his initial scheme for CSH #1; however, a revised version of the scheme was constructed on a different site three years later. What follows are various drawing produce by Mr. Davidson for the revision of CSH #1. 

The revised plans for CSH #1 by Julius Davidson

The front elevation for the revised CSH #1

The rear elevation of the revised CSH #1

   

There you have it, the first in a long line of houses that changed the American conception of home. I look forward to continuing our journey through the history of Modern Architecture in hopes that we may discover together what exactly constitutes good design.

Until next time 

A Brief Lesson in History Part II: The Twentieth Century Avant Garde

Hello again, 

Before the Twentieth Century Avant Garde movements, art was nothing more that depictions of antiquated Catholic lore captured in stark realism. Thousands of versions of: the Madonna, the Christ, the Holy Sacraments, the Crucifixion (and subsequent Resurrection), angelic visitation, and other Biblical accounts abound: commissioned and propagated by the Church (the wealthiest and often, only patron of the arts). It was this strict, dogmatic institutionalization of art that the Twentieth Century Avant Garde artists attempted to deviate from. Artistic compositions went from being called: “The Last Supper,” to “Composition with Yellow, Blue and Red.” They believed that a universally accepted and celebrated form of art and architecture devoid of historic, religious or cultural context could theoretically unite the world.    

These new ideals spread quickly throughout Europe prompting like-minded artist to create. It started small with artistic movements, like those discussed in the previous entry, but quickly grew to encompass architecture as well. Like the art that came out of this period, the architecture was severe and austere completely defying the conventions of the preceding millennia. The crossover of Avant Garde Ideals from art to, its three-dimensional counterpart: architecture is clearly depicted below in Figure 1 and 2.

[Fig. 1]“Composition with Large Red Plane, Yellow, Black, Grey and Blue”
by Piet Mondrian, 1921

[Fig. 2] “The Schroder House” by Gerrit Rietveld, 1924

As one could imagine, this new, rather abrupt, form of art had its share of critics, but these determined artists worked unabated toward a better tomorrow.

By now these ideas had gained traction and were becoming accepted amongst the masses and some of the design world’s greatest innovator rose to prominence during this era. The latter part of the Ninetieth Century and into the early half of the Twentieth saw Victor Horta,  F.L. Wright and C. R. Macintosh pioneer “Gesamptkunstwerk” the idea of a building as a “Total Work of Art:” or designing a structure and everything in it as a one-of-a-kind piece of art, Tony Garnier and Le Corbusier were busy working to reinventing the city as we know it, even by today’s standards, Peter Behrens and Walter Gropius institutionalized the art form by founding the Bauhaus, and Ludwid Mies van der Rohe along with Philip Johnson helped bring Chicago to the forefront of architectural history and redefine the American metropolis.

Hundreds of great artists and innovators working over the course of a century ravaged by war and civil unrest, endeavored to make the world a better place through their art. The question of their success is almost moot, when one considers the exhibition of the human spirit in all of its tenacious, uncompromising and endlessly compassionate glory when seeking the betterment of all mankind. This writer would hazard to say that: where it not for these men and women, the world would be a vastly different place.   

Until next time

A Brief Lesson in History Part I: The War to End All Wars

Hello again,

Our world is one of cause and effect; to begin a conversation on the impact of the Case Study House Program, one must first look to the events, individuals and the various movements that made such an undertaking possible, much less, conceivable.

World War One (yes, we’re going back that far) was historically called “The War to End all Wars.” In man’s collective naiveté he actually believed that this, hitherto, unmatched display of violence and bloodshed would never be superseded. History has taught us a harsh lesson through poetic irony; however, that not only did WWI fail to “End All Wars,” but it actually led to a Second World War. I digress: onward.

The beginning of the Twentieth Century ushered in a new understanding of, not only, art and architecture, but also society as a whole. For many of the European nations, the First World War stood as a testament to overwhelming nationalist sentiment and the distinct cultural stratification that eventually led to this unprecedented conflict. Following the war, artist and architects chose to utilize a non-regional, ahistoric aesthetic in an effort to transcend cultural and dogmatic biases to ultimately create an art form of unity.

Many movements developed during this time in many different nations around Europe; among them were the Dutch De Stijl and Italian Futurists. The members of the De Stijl canon believed art should go beyond representation, and instead, serve as a form of universal expression. The Italian Futurists; on the other hand, sought to embrace the wonders of the modern world with all of its technological advancements; these artists and architects used: movement, speed and power as their media. Both: De Stijl and Futurism are prime examples of European Avant Garde as well as stylistic precedents of the Case Study Houses and Modern Architecture as we know it today.

These are only a few example of this monumental developments in the history of art, and only represent the proverbial tip of the iceberg. The Twentieth Century would not pass before realizing a complete and utter revolution of art, architecture and quite possibly Western Civilization at large.

Until next time 

"Arts and Architecture" and the Case Study Program

Hello again,

It is a beautiful day in Anywhere, USA and today I'd like to talk about the Case Study Program. In January  of 1945 a couple forward-minded young architects in the editorial offices of "Arts and Architecture" magazine announced "The Case Study Program." Riding the wave of the residential boom of post-war America these men set out to redefine the idea of home.

The plan was simple: commission young, cutting-edge architects to submit solutions to the housing issue caused by the influx our boys returning from overseas, have materials manufacturers donate to the cause and, presto, you have a program with sociological overtones and modern design aesthetic undertones. Great architects such as: Rapson, Neutra and Eames, to name a few, took on this assignment with gusto. A booming economy, newly advanced materials and techniques and an eager public hungry for what the future had to offer, made this the time and the place for such an architectural and artistic endeavor.

The next two decades saw these plans come to fruition attracting hundred of thousands of people. It must have been a truly inspirational time to see such radical conceptions of something as unwavering in our collective psyche as the "Home."

Some of these houses are still in existence, some have been remodeled and other demolished. Whether or not they still stand, the Case Study Program will forever stand as a testament to man's optimism, and one generations embrace of a rather unorthodox vision, or maybe a vision that was merely ahead of its time.

the sad truth, and one that most architects and industrial designers inevitably encounter, is that when one attempts to make methods and products more available, it can often have a paradoxical effect. Believe it or not, but that LC-4 chaise lounge in the display window of the Knoll dealer downtown was meant to be affordable for the average American. Designers of Corbusier's time wanted to offer good design to the greatest amount of people for the least amount of money, but due to their uniqueness in the history of design and their almost novelty-like status these products, as well as the the Case Study Homes, have been placed out of reach of the public.

As a disclaimer, the homes build for the program are by no means the pinnacle of practicality, but is it not the thought that counts? But seriously, why should good design be something that is placed in a hermetically sealed box on a pedestal for all to see, from a safe distance of course, and why should the average man be confined to the cookie-cutter boxes we call home?

Over the next few weeks I would like to showcase some of these house: build or not, extant or demolished, because this writer believes there is something to be said about good design and that the Case Study Houses were a monumental step in the evolution of architecture and design.

Until next time



   

Hello

It was not more that a few hours ago that I had deemed the idea of blogging as an exercise in self-preoccupation, but, for whatever reasons, here I am.

I suppose I am like you, I want to learn and maybe teach, if I may be so bold.

So who am I? I am Human--nothing more nothing less.

So what have I got to say? I am about to graduate with a degree in Architecture and a Minor in English. I love design, I love to write and this is my attempt to write about design.

Now, if you're a smug little bastard like myself, you're asking how this could ever be relevant. Well, sir or madame what I would say to you is that above all else I am a student of the human mind: with its  compelling complexity and frightening simplicity the mind is an unruly beast. But if you subscribe to behaviorism you will undoubtedly agree that one's environment is the greatest factor of one's behavioral development.

I believe that good design has the capability to change not only the physical world, but the way we think and live.

"I believe that the way people live can be directed a little by architecture."
-Tadao Ando